Suarez still minority leader, no revamp process in the House —solon

A House of Representatives lawmaker said Thursday there was no reorganizations process happening in the chamber, and that Rep. Danilo Suarez (Quezon) is still the leader of the minority bloc.

AKO BICOL party-list Representative Rodel Batocabe claimed that the rules in choosing the members of the majority and minority blocs in the chamber cannot be applied in the apparent shake-up in leadership positions after last Monday's change of House Speaker.

"Danny Suarez pa rin ang minority leader," Batocabe told reporters at a forum in Quezon City.

Last Wednesday, members of the Liberal Party and opposition lawmakers in the House said they have formed themselves as the new "duly-constituted" minority bloc, saying that they did not vote for the election of Pampanga Representative Gloria Macapagal Arroyo as Speaker.

House rules state that those who did not vote for a winning candidate for speakership will automatically be part of the minority group, the said.

The emerging political bloc in the House has chosen Marikina City Representative Miro Quimbo as its new leader.

But, Batocabe pointed out that the House rules that Quimbo's group cited as their basis for forming themselves cannot be applied as the chamber is not in the process of organizing itself.

"Ang sitwasyon, wala namang pag-oorganisa ng Kongreso ... [na-declare] lang na vacant ang Speaker."

"Ang ina-assume nila, yung nagsisimula pa lang kami, nag-oorganize pa lang kami ng minority and majority. E, wala namang bakanteng position, ang bakante lang ay Speaker," he added.

He insisted there is no rule saying that a minority lawmaker who voted for Arroyo will become a part of the majority bloc.

"Meron nang majority at minority, at yung mga positions ay hindi vacant," he pointed out.

Also, he emphasized that the rules were only crafted for the purpose of having an orderly procedure in the House. Instead, the "basic tenet" of democracy in the House is that the decision of the majority prevails.

"So ito, it would be a political decision na ito ang pasya namin na gawing Speaker, ito ang decision na gawing majority leader notwithstanding procedural irregularities na nakalagay sa rules," he said.

"So tigilan na nila ang pag-cite ng rules because ito ang sinasabi na it is [beyond] rules ang takeover of the speakership," he added.

But Ifugao Representative Teddy Baguilat, a member of Quimbo's group, said it is only through an "illegal" and "immoral" process that Suarez will be installed as minority leader.

"The flagrant violation of accepted parliamentary and our own House rules contributed to the downfall of the past House leadership," he said. "Huwag naman sana maulit sa ilalim ng bagong liderato."

"Kinakailangan natin ng isang tunay na malaya at mahusay na minority bloc upang mapaganda ang diskurso sa budget, Charter change, TRAIN (tax reform law), at darating pang mga debate," he added.

'Laughingstock'

Senate Minority Leader Franklin Drilon said Suarez’s group “will be the laughingstock of history” if they continue to insist that the latter should remain in his post.

“Representative Danny Suarez voted for CGMA [Arroyo] and cannot become part of the minority. In other words, those who voted for CGMA cannot become part of the minority,” Drilon told reporters.

“Now here is the problem: They might stock the minority group with the allies of CGMA. I don’t know, I don’t want to go further than that. I am just talking about legislative rules, but they can have their own rules.” — with a report by Virgil Lopez/LBG/BM, GMA News